Church News Sunday 12th April

SUNDAY CLUB AND FYF Sunday Club and FYF are on holiday until 19th April. As always there is a Crèche for pre-school children each Sunday morning.

PRAYER GROUP The prayer group will meet again on Wednesday 15th April at 10am in the small hall.

PASTORAL CARE TEAM Remember the Team is there to help. Contact can be made either via your elder or the coordinator Liz Glashan (01349 861532) who will be pleased to assist if they possibly can. Do remember to allow time for arrangements to be made.

LADIES BIBLE STUDY This week the group meets in the Church Hall at 1.30pm on Wednesday 15th April. It is hoped to discuss the questions raised in the book by Desmond Tutu “In God’s Hands”. A warm welcome awaits anyone who cares to come along.

WOOLY NEWS Thank you to all responders to my appeal for wool. I am gathering some examples of the work done by our group and intend having a “mini craft show” in the Church Hall after morning service on Sunday 26th April. (Contact Liz Glashan 861532)

CONGREGATIONAL BOARD AND KIRK SESSION The Congregational Board will meet on Thursday 23rd April at 7.00pm, followed by the Kirk Session meeting. Copies of minutes and agendas are available from today and those who receive them via email should have them by now.

GUILD There is a Guild Highland Rally to be held in Crown Church, Inverness. This will take place on Saturday 18th April from 10.30am through to 3.30pm culminating in a celebration of Communion together. This is to allow many more people to experience the atmosphere of the National Meeting and they can do so on their own doorstep, as it were. The key speaker is the National Secretary, Iain Whyte, and I’m sure he will be explaining more about the Guild Action Plan for the next few years. Another speaker is from Mission Ships and there is to be a musical item. It should be a very interesting meeting. Please try to make it a date!

CHRISTIAN AID This year Christian Aid week falls between 10th – 16th May and as always I would be thrilled to hear from anyone willing to help with door to door collections. The community is fast expanding and extra feet are required to visit the new homes in Maryburgh and Conon Bridge.

As part of the fundraising week we have a C.A. quiz of Scottish songs. Sheets are available on the table at the rear of the church with donations of £1 (or more) per copy. Please support this fun brain teaser.

More details can be found in the current edition of Ferintosh Focus or visit caweek.org. My own contact details are (Joan MacKenzie) jmackenzie10@btinternet.com or 01997 433291 / 07733196633.

STEWARDSHIP There will be a Stewardship meeting for all members of the Congregational Board on Thursday 30th April at 7.00pm. Fiona Penny from National Stewardship will be coming to talk to us on the topic of finance, so we’re looking for a good attendance at this meeting, especially so given that our recent accounts showed another year in deficit.

BOOKS FOR MALAWI Following last year’s successful collection of bed linen and towels for Ekwendeni Hospital, this year the Kirk Session and Congregational Board have decided to ask you to look out any books which you no longer need and which could be used in schools and colleges in Malawi. What we are looking for are:

Reference books, dictionaries, atlases, etc. (not more than 10 years old if the information in them is of a type that is likely to be out of date)

Non-fiction books

Condensed books (e.g. Readers’ Digest)

Pre-20thCentury classic novels (later ones may contain material which would not be appropriate for school/college libraries).

Children’s books, including reference, non-fiction and story books,but nothing with “mythical” content please (no witches, wizards or magic, no fairies or other “little people”, no dragons). The type of novels written on a background of current social issues in the West are also not suitable.

If in doubt, contact Janet Winchester, or put the books in anyway. Any deemed inappropriate for Malawi can be donated to a local charity shop.

Books can be placed in a crate which will be in the annexe of the Church from Sunday 19th April or if collection is required contact Janet Winchester on 01349 865308 (answering service available) or at CJW49@hotmail.co.uk

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED Do you have questions about the Christian faith – questions such as what are we doing here and what is life all about? Do you want to find out more about Jesus and why he came? Come and join us as we begin a Christianity Explored course looking at some of these issues. It starts on Wednesday 22nd April at 7.00pm and runs for 7 weeks.